Bizarre British funerals revealed including pink coffins, turning ashes into fireworks and mourners doing the conga

People are increasingly choosing to be sent off in style, following a trend for non-traditional marriage ceremonies

By Sebastien Ash

2nd October 2017, 3:30 pm

Updated: 2nd October 2017, 3:42 pm

ONE in seven people are making special requests for their funeral such as a pink coffin, turning the ashes into a firework or the funeral procession doing the Conga, a study has found.

A poll of 1,524 people who have recently planned their final send-off, as well as 100 funeral directors, found funerals are becoming less stuffy and more personal, with a third now opting for a ‘celebration of life’.

Hearses are being ditched in favour of steam engines, motorbikes and milk floats

The surprising requests were revealed in SunLife’s Cost of Dying report, which also showed many are ditching the traditional black attire and religious hymns in favour of clothes or songs that meant something to the deceased.

A Star Wars fan requested everyone wear costumes from the long-running franchise, with the funeral director even donning a Darth Vader costume.

The traditional hearse is being ditched in favour of steam engines, motorbikes and on one occasion a milk float.

Dean Lamble, CEO at SunLife said: “Just as people are having weddings that are more personal and less traditional, we are seeing the same trend with funerals.

“People are less inclined to have a standard cremation or burial with a traditional religious service where everyone wears black, but instead, opt to celebrate the life of that person by asking people to wear the person’s favourite colour, or by playing a song from their favourite band, TV show or film.

“We’ve also seen people opting for different ways to be buried – woodland burials have risen by a quarter in the last year, for instance."

Some have chosen to be positioned riding their motorcycle or paddling a kayak before being laid to rest

The research revealed one plane enthusiast requested that his coffin be in the shape of a jet, while another respondent said their loved one asked for theirs to be made of sheep's wool.

Being buried with meaningful objects is also on the rise with one individual wanting coconuts to be put in their coffin while another wanted to have a whistle around their neck in case they woke up.

Some of the more unusual funerals also saw drag queens dancing at the service, everyone being asked to sign the coffin with a marker pen and rocking around the crematorium to Led Zeppelin.

But the study found that despite the rise in special requests, more than one in five of those who have recently planned a funeral still had absolutely no idea what type of funeral to organise for their loved one.

Just 55 per cent knew whether they would have wanted a burial or cremation with just a quarter aware of what to do with the deceased’s ashes.

Only one in seven knew which type of coffin to choose while almost two thirds did not know the deceased’s preferred cemetery or burial ground.

And when it came to the details of the service itself, around two thirds had no idea whether to opt for a religious or non-religious service, while almost eight in ten didn’t know what music or readings they should choose.

Just one per cent were fully aware of the deceased wishes when it came to their send-off.

Mr Lamble added: “Most of us know what we don’t want – perhaps we don’t want a religious funeral, we don’t want people to wear black, but often forget to say what we do want.

“By not talking about funeral wishes, our loved ones are left to make these decisions on their own, which can cause a great deal of emotional stress and even arguments among family members who disagree about what the person would have wanted."

“Our www.myperfectsendoff.co.uk tool is a great way to record your funeral wishes for free, so that your family know exactly what type of funeral you want, taking away the emotional burden from them, and ensuring that you have the type of send-off you would have wanted.”